The Kathleen Kennedy period is ending at Lucasfilm, and it was a wild journey. In 2012, Kennedy grew to become president of Lucasfilm upon its sale to Disney, and the worth of Star Wars, merely from a inventive potential standpoint, appeared much more staggering than the greenback quantity of the sale (which was a lot staggering itself). But since then, the franchise has come to really feel creatively bankrupt, with alienated followers, a number of flops and failed collection, and a complete lack of the factor that outlined Star Wars for its complete life previous to the deal: pure undiluted hype.
Is that this Kennedy’s fault? Did she truly do fairly properly contemplating the megacorporation of Disney behind her and the typically rabid and insane fandom in entrance of her? We are able to all play Monday morning quarterback on Kennedy’s time on the wheel of the Titanic. Whereas she did not steer instantly into the iceberg, it does appear to be a messy run. She oversaw one of many extra transformative durations in business historical past and ushered Star Wars into a really completely different period. What she obtained, and the place she left it, is a blended bag, to place it mildly. Earlier than we will break down the wins and losses, we now have to set the stage. Cue opening crawl…
A Lengthy Time In the past…
In case you did not know, Star Wars is the little 1977 movie that modified the whole business. We’re nonetheless, in each sense within the enterprise, dwelling within the lengthy shadow forged by that Star Destroyer that flew overhead within the very first body. From how movies are marketed, constructed, plotted, packaged, and developed to how audio, visuals, VFX, and even digital camera expertise are designed and applied. Prefer it or not, Star Wars and its creator, George Lucas, are the godfathers of the trendy panorama.
The most important driver behind Star Wars for therefore lengthy was the truth that ‘new’ Star Wars was one thing to get tremendous riled up about. Within the 13 years since Kennedy and Disney took stewardship of the franchise, the hype has vanished. A part of that is the commodification of each final inch, not only for merchandise to promote (that was all the time a part of the old-school groundbreaking Lucas playbook) but in addition as a result of each little nook and cranny has been mined for a brand new story. It paints everybody in a nook. Both it is stale, or it is too completely different. Kennedy and Disney did not comprehend it in 2012, however that might be the razors edge they’d need to dwell on.
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The hype being gone, although, is an issue associated to output. Yow will discover die-hard Star Wars followers who did not watch The Acolyte or Skeleton Crew, the 2 newest collection from the franchise. Alternatively, it’s because frequently churning out new Star Wars content material means extra merch. It means extra swings on the plate. The aim now appears aligned with the trendy actuality of {the marketplace}. Audiences are fragmented. You do not make one huge Star Wars film for everybody. You make a ton of Star Wars streaming collection, one for every type of fan. Kennedy and the group discovered this the exhausting method. Let’s break it down.
It is vital to notice that Kennedy is considered one of her technology’s defining filmmaking abilities. She got here on the scene as a producing companion of Steven Speilberg’s with Amblin Leisure, and the run they’d was so robust that Amblin is now an adjective for a type of film/type. She branched off ultimately with husband and companion Frank Marshall and continued to have unparalleled success producing all sorts of characteristic movies. Kennedy has produced motion pictures which have earned in complete over $10 billion worldwide. Suffice it to say she was an apparent and robust selection to guide Lucasfilm at Disney. The promising, hyped starting wasn’t meant to final. Forces out and in of her management would conspire to change the trajectory utterly.
The place Did Issues Go Unsuitable for Kennedy and ‘Star Wars’?
Star Wars hype was alive and properly when the primary new characteristic in a brand new trilogy, The Power Awakens, started its roll-out. Critics and followers had been thrilled to place the problematic prequels (Episodes 1-3) behind them. The outdated forged would return in smaller roles, passing the lightsaber baton to a youthful technology that included expertise like Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, and John Boyega. Embracing a number of the older design components, story factors, and strategies appeared like a straightforward win, placing Amblin/Spielberg imitator extraordinaire JJ Abrams on the helm together with some assist from prime OG Lucasfilm scribe Lawrence Kasdan… properly, it appeared like issues had been in excellent arms.
The Power Awakens did certainly thrive, however should you appeared carefully, you possibly can see the cracks within the facade, the canary within the coal mine. There was one thing extraordinarily uninspired and rancid about this entry. It roughly repeated each beat of the unique movies. It was extra of a remake than a sequel, perhaps extra appropriately named a re-quel. The characters, although embodied by extraordinarily dynamic and gifted younger stars on the rise, had been flat and underdeveloped. The tip was a large cliffhanger for the second characteristic within the trilogy. It appeared like all the things may very well be positive, however there was one thing unstable about this basis. The place may it go precisely? Was it actually going to do something new?
The chickens of doubt got here house to roost with the follow-up, The Final Jedi. Rian Johnson took issues in a very completely different course than Abrams had began them, a completely completely different movie tonally that appeared to additionally fall again into a number of the visible CG mess of the prequel period. Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) was outspoken in his dislike of his character’s arc. Followers at this level went into one thing of a civil battle that grew ugly, embodying an rising subculture of terrible fandom that was going to any size to taunt girls, folks of coloration, and issues that felt too completely different. This was already the dichotomy the trendy Star Wars would face. It may’t be too completely different. It may’t be too acquainted.
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Rogue One was launched as a stand-alone movie in regards to the Demise Star plans. The movie had a blended response, although it was clearly for the older Star Wars followers, and didn’t hit the 4 quadrants that Star Wars had all the time managed to earlier than. It was proof that there may very well be smaller-scale tales that resonated with smaller sections of the viewers. It could be an concept the Kennedy regime would construct on later. The following stand-alone movie, although, Solo, flopped exhausting. This was straightforward to see coming, although, because it tried to recast Harrison Ford’s iconic position, leaving folks questioning why sure choices had been being made and who was making them. It is exhausting to know what classes executives take from failure. May a distinct recast have labored? Did Solo imply some characters would by no means be rebooted or recast? It is unusual since Batman or Spider-Man have been recast numerous occasions, and it all the time appears to go simply positive.
By the point The Rise of Skywalker got here out in 2019, the 7-year run was not robust. Colin Trevorrow had been slated to jot down and direct the movie however, on the final minute, was changed by Chris Terrio and JJ Abrams. The ensuing movie was an entire mess. However this wasn’t the primary time within the run that replacements and reshoots had occurred. Solo misplaced Lord and Miller for Ron Howard. Rogue One began with Gareth Edwards however then reportedly handed the reigns over midstream to Tony Gilroy. This fixed juggling of inventive management has to have not less than one thing to do with such uneven outcomes.
In contrast to a number of the prior movies, Rise of Skywalker was not controversial in reception. No one appreciated it. It has roughly moved Abrams out of the limelight solely as a significant author/director, and it left the idea of Star Wars characteristic movies completely damaged. There has not been one since.
Why Wasn’t Kathleen Kennedy Fired?
2019-2020 would signify a sea change within the business, and regardless of the struggles of the primary seven years on the helm, Kennedy would adapt and thrive. There was nonetheless her confirmed observe report predating this run and the truth that whereas perhaps Star Wars wasn’t pleasing followers and critics, it was nonetheless raking in money. Merchandise was booming, and Disney was investing exhausting in an enlargement of its parks that included a brand new Star Wars land and, ultimately, a singular and disastrous lodge/trip idea.
Kennedy could be given an extended leash, partly as a result of stability at this degree was extra vital than what occurs on message boards and in movie evaluations. Star Wars/Lucasfilm continued to be a large funding. Somebody succesful is required to maintain greenlighting and creating content material to market and promote throughout all of the Disney platforms.
Then the magic occurred that solely Disney may take to gentle velocity. Within the characteristic film-less years for the reason that Rise of Skywalker, Kennedy and firm stumbled into one thing simpler and lots worthwhile. They lastly obtained their win with a streaming collection on the brand new platform Disney+:The Mandalorian. This time, the inventive expertise was Jon Favreau, who came to visit from huge wins at Marvel and seemingly knew the best way to steadiness fan service with new adventures in a method that alienated only a few and overjoyed so many extra. On the heart of the collection had been two faceless characters. A mysterious masked badass voiced by Pedro Pascal and a cute child Yoda puppet that grew to become an on the spot international sensation. Cha-ching.
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The Mandalorian was proof of idea for Star Wars streaming collection, and like every good company, they went in exhausting on what works. A number of seasons of the present, together with a by-product with beloved OG character Boba Fett, got here alongside. By now, the prequels of the early aughts had been roughly rehabilitated, and the followers checked out them fondly in gentle of the disaster of the Abrams/Kennedy sequel trilogy. This meant an Obi-Wan Kenobi collection bringing again fan favourite Ewan McGregor as Kenobi, in addition to Hayden Christenson as Anakin/Darth Vader. One other main determine emerged in Dave Filoni, the animator who educated instantly beneath George Lucas, constructing the epic animated Clone Wars saga from earlier than the Disney buy.
No one knew Star Wars inside and outside fairly like Filoni, and his characters, storylines, and concepts from the previous had been now being built-in into the brand new exhibits and the increasing universe. It appeared Kennedy had discovered one thing that labored on a platform that match the trendy fragmented viewers. The rising pains of the kids had been seemingly up to now. But the extra collection that had been churned out, the extra issues began to go stale once more. Ahsoka wasn’t a large win. The Acolyte fell into polarizing territory, and Skeleton Crew, whereas fairly good, did not get watched by many individuals.
So What Is There to Make of Kennedy’s ‘Star Wars’ Run?
It is unfair to offer her all of the credit score or the blame for the way issues went. She will be able to’t change the way in which the expertise, market, and business modified throughout her reign. 2012 was a VERY completely different time. Her period spanned a large strike, a shutdown resulting from a pandemic, and the following change of the whole theatrical/streaming mannequin. It is also very exhausting for any of us to understand the complexity of her position. She was caught between a religiously fanatic fanbase and a large conglomerate. Artistic calls for shrink within the face of canonical lore and highly effective shareholders. This isn’t merely an train in telling good tales. Everybody has an opinion about what Star Wars ‘ought to do,’ however what can truly be authorized and executed properly is a completely separate matter. It is actually a minefield.
And but… it is exhausting not to take a look at so many missed alternatives. So many rakes had been stepped on. The failure of the preliminary movie trilogy looms massive over all the things in her run. How may they haven’t deliberate all three movies directly? The mannequin had been so properly established? They rushed to finish and put out these options each few years with so little applicable improvement and so little cohesiveness. One solely must look over on the Marvel Cinematic Universe subsequent door to see cohesive planning and execution that constructed to a massively profitable end. Was all of it attainable? After all. Alternatively, Kennedy discovered a option to get Star Wars again into the zeitgeist. Give credit score the place credit score is due.
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The restoration is not with out its missteps, although, and taking a look at different mega-franchises, it simply appears that is the brand new period, and Star Wars, which went from one thing with only a few very hyped merchandise to one thing with many swings and misses, has modified eternally with the occasions.
Kennedy leaving additionally does not imply Star Wars and Lucasfilm are in higher form, both. Perhaps she was the final voice from the technology of boomers who actually understood why Amblin and Lucasfilm labored within the first place. Perhaps she knew the best way to alter midstream and salvage issues, and we assume all of the modifications and audibles that had been known as made issues worse.
There’s a lot we will not see and certain will not ever know. Kennedy left her mark, although, ushering Star Wars into the brand new fashionable period of streaming platforms and big interconnected collection. There will definitely proceed to be an increasing number of (and extra) Star Wars. No matter you consider all of it, there isn’t a doubt {that a} hyped Star Wars theatrical launch is a factor left behind a protracted, very long time in the past in a galaxy far, distant. The Star Wars franchise is streaming on Disney+.